Love by Trial and Error
by Gemini14
Summary: What starts off a rotten day for Xellos is made worse by an illness. Can Filia overcome her dislike for him and help him recover before trouble arrives?
1. Chapter One

Love by Trial and Error

Chapter One

Xellos groaned as he sensed his master's summons. It wasn't that Zelas was a hard master, it was the fact that he didn't feel like his normal self. He was weak, sore, and chilled to the bone. But he answered the summons anyway and appeared before Zelas.

"I have a new mission for you, Xellos." Zelas said, at first not noticing that Xellos was unusually quiet.

"Hai, Zelas-sama." Xellos said, softly.

"Xellos? Are you all right? You don't sound well." Zelas said, with a hint of motherly concern in her voice.

"I'm fine, Lord BeastMaster." Xellos murmured, shuddering slightly when the slightest breeze moved in the room. 

"If you say so. Your mission is to guard the home of Filia Ul Copt. One of your rivals is going to try and take the Ancient Dragon she is raising. I want you to prevent that from happening." Zelas said, thinking nothing more of Xellos' silence.

"As you command, Lord BeastMaster." Xellos said, before disappearing from sight. Xellos arrived in front of Filia's shop in the pouring rain.

"_As though my day couldn't get any worse._" Xellos thought, darkly, as he entered the store through the door, too weak to teleport again. Inside the shop, it was blessedly warm, thanks to the kiln used to make the famous vases this shop was known for. With a sigh, he took a seat nearest the kiln and lost himself to the warmth. He was so tired that he didn't hear someone enter the room. He was startled when he found himself looking into two youthful golden eyes.

"Konnichiwa, priest-san!" the youth chirped, happily.

"Konnichiwa." Xellos replied, softly. 

"What'cha doin here sittin' near Mama's kiln like this?" the boy asked, curiosity lighting his eyes.

"Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos replied, with a weak smile.

"Why is it a secret, priest-san?" the boy asked.

"Because………………" Xellos started to say, before a coughing fit seized him. 

"Hold on, I'm getting Mama!" the boy shouted, as he ran out of the room, leaving Xellos there. 

Filia turned when she heard her son charge up the stairs.

"Val! What have I told you about running in the house?" Filia scolded, when the child had gotten to the room she was in.

"Mama, there's a priest in the shop! He's sick! I didn't know what to do so I came to get you!" Val said, urgently.

"What?! This priest, he didn't do anything to you, did he?!" Filia asked. Val shook his head vigorously.

"Iie, Mama! He was sittin' by the kiln as though he was tryin to get warm. I asked him what he was doin there and all he said was 'Sore wa himitsu desu'. I asked him why it was a secret and before he could tell me, he started coughing." Val said, all in one breath. It took a heartbeat for Filia to realize who this priest was.

"Val, stay here. I'll deal with this." Filia said, as she grabbed her mace and went downstairs. Val worriedly watched her disappear, and he hoped that the priest would be all right. 

Xellos flinched when he heard an all too familiar voice shriek the word 'Namagomi' and cried out in pain when a mace found it's mark in his already sore chest. Too weak to teleport before striking a wall, Xellos managed to get into an upright position before he hit it, vases and all. He saw a blurry image of Filia standing over him, at first with a look of satisfaction, then concern, on her face. He heard her say something and tried to smile and say her name, but all he could manage was a strangled cough. He tasted blood at the back of his throat and guessed that Filia had just broken several of his ribs and punctured a lung. With much effort he opened his eyes and looked at Filia that way. It was a little bit clearer, but not by much. 

Filia had derived much satisfaction in hitting the Mazoku priest with her trusty mace, and even more when he didn't teleport and crashed into a wall that had shelves of vases. Then it occurred to her that something wasn't right; he should have teleported! With satisfaction giving way to concern, Filia approached the Mazoku, dropping her guard. It was apparent that Xellos wasn't going to teleport away this time. Instead he stayed where he was, looking dazedly up at her. At first he had his eyes closed, in his usual Mazoku fashion, then he opened his lavender feline eyes in an effort to see better. It didn't make much difference; his eyes were unfocused and glazed by pain and illness. 

"Xellos?" Filia asked, as she felt worry creep into her. The wounded Mazoku tried to reply, but could only manage a strangled gasp. She gasped when she saw blood trickle from the corner of his mouth and wondered just how badly she'd hurt Xellos. Without even thinking, she reached out and started a healing spell. She wasn't as strong as Sylphiel or Amelia, but her powers were enough to heal Xellos' damaged lung and some of the damage to the ribs. 

"Mama! What happened?!" Val asked, as he ran into the room.

"Val, I want you to do something for me." Filia said, as she started loosening the sodden cloak from Xellos' shoulders.

"What is it, Mama?" Val asked.

"I want you to go and turn the covers down on the bed in the guest room. I'm going to be bringing Xellos up there." Filia said, as she carefully lifted Xellos up from the wreckage of vases and shelves and onto her shoulders. Val nodded and ran back upstairs to do his mother's bidding. With very little effort, Filia carried the semi-conscious Mazoku upstairs to the only unused room in the house. Gently, she laid him on the bed, marveling at the fact that his cloak had been soaking wet, while his tunic and pants had remained dry. 

"Filia-chan…………………." Xellos whispered.

"Shh, try to get some rest. I didn't realize you were sick. I should have realized something was wrong when Val told me you were sitting beside the kiln." Filia said, as she removed Xellos' boots and tucked him in.

"Is that an apology, Fi-chan?" Xellos asked, with a wan smile. 

"Believe whatever you wish, Xellos. By the way, why are you here?" Filia asked, but she knew what answer she was going to receive.

"Sore wa…………….himitsu desu…………." Xellos murmured, before drifting off to sleep. 

"Secretive even when ill. You're hopeless, Xellos." Filia said, ruefully, while shaking her head. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

When Xellos finally felt consciousness returning to him, it felt almost as though he'd been hit in the chest by both the Dragon Slave and Giga Slave combined.

"_Who would have thought that 'Mace-sama' would hurt so much?_" Xellos found himself thinking, as he slowly roused up.

"Xellos? Are you awake?" Filia's voice asked; echoing slightly in his fogbound brain. He flinched, and opened one eye.

"H-hai...Fi-chan." Xellos whispered; hissing when even the effort of breathing sent brandlike pain through his chest. It was then he could feel what seemed to be bandages wrapped around his torso; holding his fractured ribs in place, so they could heal properly. He was confused when he heard what seemed to be a sigh of relief, and felt a soft hand touch his brow.

"Good. You've been unconscious for several days...I was beginning to wonder." Filia said, as Xellos' gaze focused on her, and her expression could be read. To his surprise, Xellos found not only relief, but also a hint of guilt as well.

"Yare, yare...Fi-chan. You can't be rid of me...that easily." Xellos softly said; with a semblance of his usual smile on his pale face. The Ryuzoku only snorted in response to that, then gently helped him sit up; moving slowly so the pain wouldn't get the better of him.

"I need to give you some medicine,...Xellos. It will help to take the edge off of the pain, and help with your illness as well." Filia stated, her hesitation to use Xellos' name instead of her chosen nickname for him very prominent. Xellos managed to arch an eyebrow at this.

"Medicine? Are you certain it isn't poison...Fi-chan?" Xellos asked, trying his best to prod the normally-fiery dragon priestess into a rage. To his surprise, it didn't work; he only got an arched eyebrow for his comment, instead.

"Even though Val would say otherwise...It is indeed medicine." Filia murmured, with a slight chuckle, as she remembered her adopted son's reaction to the homemade remedies. She watched with silent amusement as Xellos gingerly took the medicine; inwardly giggling when he made a grotesque face in response to the taste.

"Your son is right...It does taste horrible..." Xellos muttered, when he'd finally managed to swallow the vile-tasting concoction.

"But it should help...With you being what you are, I don't think healing spells would work very well. White magic would probably do more harm than good." Filia said, as she put the bottle of medicine on the bedside table for a moment, then reached out and felt his brow again.

"_She has a point._" Xellos reluctantly admitted, to himself; feeling himself relax slightly in response to her touch, yet wondering all the while why that was so.

"Hey, Mama! How's Priest-san doing?" Val's voice asked, as the youthful dragon poked his head into the room and gazed curiously at Xellos.

"He's awake, for now." Filia replied; her tone hinting that she wanted Xellos to get some more rest, and he was not to argue with her about that. At this, Xellos couldn't help but make a show of being petulant; getting a laugh from the younger dragon when he even stuck his tongue out at Filia for added effect.

"But I really wanted to talk to Val-kun, Fi-chan!" Xellos playfully argued, even though he still sounded somewhat tired, to the former priestess' ears.

"You two can talk all you want, later. For now, you must rest and allow yourself to heal." Filia retorted; knowing she was winning the argument, when she saw the Mazoku priest try to stifle a yawn, and fail miserably.

"_Good. The medicine's beginning to take effect_..._It'll help with his fever and the pain._" Filia mused, as she watched Xellos lay back down, reluctantly conceding defeat in this first round.

"Is Priest-san going to be all right, Mama?" Val asked, as he carefully entered the room, and watched the Mazoku drift into slumber alongside her.

"Given how stubborn he is, Val, I would say he'll be just fine." Filia replied, with a little more certainty than she felt.

"_But I can only wonder what brought him here to begin with. Has he been ordered to watch over me? If so, then why?_" Filia wondered, as she gently ushered her adoptive son out of the room, tucked the covers a little bit tighter around Xellos, and then sat down alongside him; secretly wondering what else was going to happen that was going to throw the already chaotic chain of events into even further confusion.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Not much of a new chapter, granted, but at least it's a 'step in the right direction', ne? Sorry to keep everyone in suspense like this, but writer's block has been pretty unkind here, lately. Even though it's short, I hope it's enough to tell everybody that I haven't given up on it yet. As always, I am open to suggestions on where the story could go, and what could happen next! Thanks for reading! (And being so patient!)**_

_**Gemini14**_


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